Meet Shyrone Cyph Smith

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shyrone Cyph Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shyrone Cyph , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

People always ask me how I stay creative, how I keep producing, and why I’m always working on something new. The truth is creativity isn’t a moment for me, it’s a lifestyle. It’s motion. And the moment I stop moving, I feel myself growing stagnant. So I keep creating. I stay curious. I challenge myself to evolve.

Writing was the starting point, music, novels and screenplays became my foundation. Storytelling allowed me to build worlds, explore emotion, and give voice to the people and experiences that rarely get spotlighted. But it didn’t stop there.

Music has always been another outlet for me as another language I speak creatively. I still write music and collaborate with artists, and I help manage a production company called The Hits Council, sharpening sound and story in equal measure.

Film became the next evolution in my journey. I recently wrote, directed, and edited my first feature film, For the Love of You, based on my novel of the same name. Completing that project didn’t just teach me more about filmmaking and it reminded me that every creative risk is a doorway to growth. Since then, I’ve worked on projects including the film Stairwell and a sitcom currently in development with major industry stars and producers.

Every project stretches a different muscle, writing, directing, editing, composing, producing. Juggling multiple mediums keeps me engaged and energized. Each discipline informs the others, sharpening my instincts and expanding my creative vocabulary.

As I evolve, so does my brand. What began as Wildaness Publishing has now grown into Wildaness Publishing & Films, a reflection of where the journey has taken me and where it’s headed next.

Creativity is momentum. As long as I keep building, learning, and experimenting, I’ll never stop growing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, and a lot of who I am and the way I see the world, the ambition I carry, and the stories I tell, it comes from that environment. Growing up there meant being surrounded by real stories: struggle, resilience, humor, heartbreak, and hope. Those experiences shaped my voice and continue to fuel every creative step I take.

Professionally, I’m a storyteller. I write novels, screenplays, and music, and I’ve recently stepped fully into filmmaking. Over the years, I’ve written and published 22 books, each representing a different stage of my creative growth. But storytelling for me isn’t confined to one medium, sometimes a story needs a microphone, sometimes a camera, and sometimes it belongs on a page. Working across multiple formats keeps me inspired, challenged, and evolving.

One of the most exciting milestones in my journey has been expanding my work from literature into film. I recently wrote, directed, and edited my first feature-length movie, For the Love of You, based on one of my books. That project stretched me in every way, from vision to execution and it showed me how powerful it is to watch a story come alive visually. The film is set to release in early 2026 on streaming platforms, and I’m incredibly proud of that moment. There’s nothing like seeing characters that once lived only in your imagination take shape on screen.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I think there were three things that really made a difference in my creative journey: discipline, adaptability, and vision.

Discipline was probably the biggest one. People see books, films, or music when they’re finished, but they don’t always see the late nights, the rewrites, the self-doubt, or the days you have to push yourself even when you’re not inspired. Discipline is what makes creativity real as it turns ideas into finished work. For anyone starting out, I’d say: show up consistently. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or mood. If you treat your craft like a real commitment, it will grow like one.

The next one is adaptability. I moved from writing books to writing scripts, then into directing, editing, and producing. Each step required learning something new and being willing to be a beginner again. The creative world changes fast, technology changes, trends shift, and industries evolve. Instead of resisting that, lean into it. Be curious. Try new mediums. Don’t lock yourself into one identity too early. Sometimes the next version of your talent is hidden in a skill you haven’t tried yet.

The third one is vision. Before anything exists, whether it’s a novel, a film, or a song, you have to be able to see it. Not perfectly, not fully, but enough to believe it’s worth building. There were plenty of times people didn’t understand what I was working on or why it mattered, and that’s okay. Your vision doesn’t have to make sense to everyone, it just has to make enough sense to you that you don’t quit on it.

For anyone early in their journey, my advice would be: don’t rush, stay consistent, and bet on yourself. Study your craft, but also study the business behind it. Protect your creativity, but also prepare for rejection and growth because both are part of the process. The work you’re doing now, even if it feels small, is building skills and opportunities you’ll need later.

Most importantly, keep creating. The more you make, the better you get, and one day you’ll look back and see how far those small steps carried you.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My team has been the most helpful as we all hold each other accountable and push each other to be great. One of the greatest things you can have is a bunch of like minded individuals in your corner. People whose goals are if not the same, at least on the same accord. I have had the pleasure of working around some of the most talented people in the world and we all build off one another. Things I learned on the way, I did not learn from school, I learned from on the field training. Every skill I picked up came from working with talented people who showed me the ropes and I used my knowledge to help them where they needed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @cyph360
• Facebook: Shyrone Cyph Smith
• Twitter: @cyph360